Six restaurants opened this summer in Fort Collins, half of them pizza places.

Competing with around 30 other pizzerias in the city, the new shops' owners set themselves apart through cooking styles, menu options and even themed decor.

They can bet on this business in a college town, the owners say. But they will also attest that the old pizza pie is just not enough anymore.

In June, 900 Degrees opened at College Avenue and Prospect Road. Owner John Ricketts was confident about starting another pizzeria because none were located within a one-mile radius. There was enough of a need for more pizza, he said. That, and he had a flash-baking technique and a killer homemade key lime pie recipe.

By late August, Slyce Pizza Co. opened at the corner of Mountain Avenue and Mason Street. Before opening, owner Jeremy Tand gushed about the perfect holding crust. He was genuinely excited to introduce America's favorite dishes — macaroni and cheese, lasagna — on top of America's favorite dough. After work, he and chef Stew Moore were coming up with new pie ideas nightly, while eating dinner (presumably not pizza) together.

Across town, Totally 80's Pizza will open Oct. 1. Owner Alex Morgan has been collecting 1980s paraphernalia for a decade in preparation for this restaurant. He said an '80s theme pairs well with pizza, including the baked Frito special.

With all this attention to the pie, then, is pizza becoming a defining Fort Collins food?

Two franchises, Marco's Pizza and Which Way Pizza, and one one family-owned pizzeria, Amici, closed this year, leaving room for the new concepts. Still, that's a lot of pizza.

Colorado pies, New York Pies, American pies, Neapolitan pies. Slices and personal pies. National chain pies and 1980s pies. An entire meal on top of your pie pies.

Slyce's classically trained chef Stew Moore, for one, says that at some point he'll branch out from pizza — using the restaurant's full kitchen, preparing an intimate dinner, with a set menu and family-style seating.